I have had a clogged kitchen sink vent for several years. During that time I have worked on and off to clear .... with no luck. The sink is a douible one and the opening for one sink acts as the vent while the main vent is clogged. I know the vent is clogged because I hear frequient gurgling when the sink has water draining and sometimes I get odor from the drain. I have tried a number of things over the years to clear it ... including:
- using various kinds of snakes from the roof to clear it
- putting water down the vent pipe via an expanding plumbing device which attaches to a garden hose.
- cut the vent pipe underneath the sink and snaked from that point. The snake did not break the clog.
- Poured various kinds of chemicals down the vent pipe, let is rest, and tried snaking or water to clear.
The vent pipe is made of galvanized steel and the top of the pipe is open to the air. The pipe make one right angle turn between the first and second floor of the house. I saw this by cutting into the space above the sink to look at the path of the pipe. I am tempted to cut into the pipe where it makes the right angle. However, I will have to either access the pipe from the outside of the house at the second floor leve or from the inside wall.
I talked to a plumber recently and after describing the problem... he said I seemed to have a "real problem". I need some advice and thought about where to go from here. I am still game to try something else.
Thanks, Al